Is Blogging Dead? A Must-Read Guide

So many people and even ‘blogging gurus’ have been talking about whether or not blogging is dead and what the future of blogging is going to look like in the upcoming years.

Some say that blogging is no longer efficient and it’s completely dead, while others claim that blogging is still growing and is likely to grow over the next decades as more and more people want to consume the information they need as quickly as possible.

There are even groups that convince you to stop blogging and start video marketing (which is the hot thing right now: and it actually is true).

But does anyone have a straightforward and clear data-driven answer? Well, you have come to the right place. But before I give you some context and insights, let me answer the question real quick to help you settle the excitement/curiosity you have in mind.

Is blogging dead? Blogging is unquestionably not dead and it is continuously growing rapidly over the past decade. According to OptinMonster, blogging has grown by 12% since 2015 and it is not going to die anytime soon.

Yes, this might come across as a bit shocking but it is the truth. There are millions of bloggers around the world who blog their ideas and earn a substantial amount of money each and every single month.

In the United States alone, the blogging industry and the number of bloggers have been increasing in number every year.

Number Of Bloggers In The United States

YearNumber Of US Bloggers (In Millions)
201427.4 Million Bloggers
201528.3 Million Bloggers
201629.1 Million Bloggers
201730.0 Million Bloggers
201830.6 Million Bloggers
201931.2 Million Bloggers
202031.7 MIllion Bloggers
(Data from Statista)

As you can see, blogging is for sure far from dead but let me now provide you with some more genuine information and other cool stuff you should know as a beginner blogger or a beginner marketer in general.

Why People Think Blogging Is Dead…

There are a lot of reasons why people think blogging is dead or is becoming more and more ineffective over the years. However, the main reasons I can think of are the following;

  1. Blogging is no longer about thin and crappy content
  2. The traffic sources have significantly changed
  3. This business model requires a lot of patience and consistent efforts
  4. The graph in Google Trends for the search term ‘blog or blogging’ is going downwards

1. About Thin and Crappy Content

Back in the day, you could just write short blog posts with little to no value and still attract visitors who were looking for information on that particular topic.

You could just write an incomplete answer to a particular question and still bring in visitors readers to the blog.

Fortunately and unfortunately, that is no longer the case now. If you don’t produce valuable and in-depth content, blogging is simply going to be ineffective or dead for you no matter what you do.

2. About Traffic Sources & Channels

One of the top reasons why people think blogging is no longer a ‘good business model’ is because the traffic sources (places where visitors come from) have changed drastically.

Earlier, social traffic (traffic from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.) comprised a huge percentage in the industry but as of now, social traffic makes up only about 1% of the total traffic blogs receive.

3. About Patience and Consistent Efforts

You should be aware of the fact the blogging isn’t some ‘get-rich-quick-scheme’ that will make you a millionaire overnight.

Just like any other business requires consistent work and a hell lot of patience, blogging requires that too. You can’t just write a few articles/blog posts and expect millions of people to come to your website.

To succeed, you will have to have a lot of patience and learn important skills such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing (SMM).

At the end of the day, you are building a real as well as sustainable business when you are working on a blog. It does require a lot of persistence and patience along with some investment.

4. About Google Trends

Another reason why people generally think blogging is dying is because of the graph that appears on Google Trends when you look at the search interest for the word ‘blog’ or ‘blogging’.

I know you are quite confused…so let me illustrate what I mean by this.

First of all, Google Trends is a tool offered by Google that tells us how popular a particular topic is. So, when I look at the interest for blogging, this is what I get to see.

Search interest for 'blogging' is dying

As you can see, the interest for blogging has decreased substantially and people often relate this chart with the growth of blogging.

That’s just not the truth. The search interest for the term blogging is decreasing not because it is dying, but because the vast majority of people already know about blogging and they don’t need to search for this over and over again.

To contextualize the statement, I want to show you results for another search term. I typed the term ‘Facebook’ inside Google trends and once again, this is what appears on the screen.

Search interest for Facebook in Google Trends. (Is blogging dead?)

The screenshot also shows that the search interest for Facebook is also decreasing over the years but that doesn’t mean Facebook is dying, right?

All it means is that almost everyone knows about Facebook or have it installed on their mobile phones…and they don’t need to search for it over and over again. Makes sense, right?

Is Blogging Legal?

Another question related to the decline of blogging is whether blogging is legal or illegal.

And honestly, I have felt like asking this question several times when I got into this industry. There’s a whole lot of stuff going on regarding copyright and piracy.

I have seen and reported a ton of websites and blogs that I spotted doing illegal activities but that doesn’t have to do anything with the blogging industry itself.

Okay, I won’t spin your round and round. Let me answer the question directly…

Is blogging legal? According to the laws in the United States and a lot of countries all across the globe, blogging is a completely legal and legit business model where millions of people are involved in.

So, yes! it’s a hundred percent legit business that can be run easily on the internet.

Is Blogging Easy?

This is an interesting question. I have seen a lot of bloggers that get to momentum in just a short period of time while others struggle real hard to make their first dollar with blogging.

Precisely, there is no clear answer to this one. Whether or not blogging is easy depends on a lot of factors. Some of them are;

  1. The niche you choose
  2. The search analysis you perform
  3. The way you write the content
  4. The amount of content you write
  5. The traffic source you focus on

If you have a clear idea of everything and you already know the strategies, you will find blogging easy. But that’s not the case with far majority of the people.

For a new blogger, it can be really challenging to get good at everything and make the process easier and smoother. There are a whole lot of ups and downs involved in the journey of running a successful blog.

Therefore, if you know what you are doing, you might find it easy and if you don’t, it’s going to be extremely hard.

Do People Still Read Blogs?

This is a question I am asked a lot via email and social media. There’s a lot of buzz going on regarding if people still read blogs.

If you listen to the ‘blogging and marketing gurus’, they will tell you that fewer people like to read blogs and a bunch of other crap…whereas the reality is pretty different. Actually, it’s completely different.

Do people still read blogs? According to recent blogging statistics, 70-80% of people still prefer reading blogs. This tells us that people still read blogs as long as they are informative and useful (which they are).

So, if you are holding yourself back because of this myth, it’s time to get started and get going.

Is Blogging Profitable?

The short answer is, yes! The business model is extraordinarily profitable if an individual does a good job at choosing a niche, writing content, helping readers, and monetizing the audience.

As long as you can attract loads of visitors, blogging is super profitable and it will continue to be over the next decades.

How Blogging Has Changed Evolved

No matter what industry you are in, there always are going to be complainers. There are going to be people who will tell you how everything is changing and what has changed.

Blogging hasn’t really changed. It has just evolved with the internet and people. If you have been producing content that helps people find what they are looking for, you are always going to win no matter what happens.

Just think about this, blogging was all about writing quality blog posts on the website back in the day…and it’s still the same. You still do the same even today.

Sure, there’s a lot of competition arising but that doesn’t affect you a lot if HELPFUL CONTENT is your top priority.

New strategies of link building and other short-term promotions come and go every now and then but if you are constantly producing content that helps people by answering a specific query descriptively, it’s always going to be a win for you and blogging is never going to change for you.

You can go ahead and look for controversial content here and there but this is the harsh truth.

What Is The Future Of Blogging?

So, let me start with saying – blogging is not going to die anytime soon but it definitely is going to be different than what it is now as the internet itself is always evolving and getting better every single day.

If you are planning to start a brand new blog or somebody who is already in the process of building a solid blog for it to be successful in the future, here are a few things to keep in mind;

  1. Choose your blog industry wisely
  2. Quality, quantity, and consistency is going to be the key
  3. Focus on Search Engine Optimization will be needed
  4. Doubling down on Voice Search will get bloggers better results
  5. Optimizing website and content for mobile will become more vital
  6. User-Friendly and engaging content will always win
  7. Original images/graphics in a post will boost authority
  8. Blogging is and will be all about helping, not selling
  9. Emphasis on website speed will be crucial
  10. Building an email list will put you way ahead of many bloggers
  11. It is going to take a minimum of 35-40 (or more) weeks before you notice any good results

And that’s all it is about. As far as you don’t have any problems with the points I have mentioned above, you are good to go in the field of blogging.

In Conclusion

As you already know that blogging is still a real and efficient way to make money on the internet and be your own boss, there’s nothing to worry about.

Many people don’t get into blogging because they fear it’s going to die or change extremely fast, but the statistics and data show you what that truth is.

And you know what? Just because you have a chance to lose money in the stock market, you won’t stop investing. It’s all up to you whether you want to give it a shot or not.

My suggestion would be to pick a topic you are interested in, write some fantastic content yourself, and then see if that works for you or not. If you will do everything the right way, you definitely will see some good results.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any questions or experiences, feel free to let the community know in the comments down below.

[FAQs] Frequently Asked Questions

What is blogging?

Blogging is a business model where publishers create written-word content to reach their targeted audience.

Is blogging growing over the years?

Blogging is definitely growing as time is passing. As of now, there are over a billion blogs on the internet and the number is only growing.

How long will blogging last?

Blogging is not going anywhere anytime soon. People will always like to read valuable content and it will always keep growing.

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